Rising Sun!
by Arthur Hansen
Summary: Superman Unbound RanmaLois & Clark A new hero of Japan is born!


Rising Sun - Ascendant

-

A fan fiction story revolving around the world of "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures" and "Ranma 1/2." No infringement of ownership is meant. It is just for fun.

-

"Daddy! Daddy! Hurry up! Kasumi's going to be on TV soon!" a young girl that looked to be almost fifteen called out. The little TV in front of her was set up in front of several mats. On it was shown some sort of official occasion. The living room looked quite festive, if a bit messed up.

Another girl, slightly older with a short hair cut, walked into the room carrying a bowl. "I'm not sure this is a good idea. Are you sure this is a real food, Akane?" the girl asked.

"Kasumi made it, so I guess it is. Candied popcorn looks funny, doesn't it, Nabiki" Akane responded. "Daddy! Hurry up!"

Nabiki just rolled her eyes. She was slumming around in her shorts and a tank top. She eyed the popcorn suspiciously. "Come on, Dad! Hurry up!"

"I'm here!" the older man called as he entered the room with a pot for tea. "Oh Kasumi! You do your father proud this day!" He started crying profusely.

"Hey! Don't make the popcorn soggy!" Nabiki cried out. "Daddy, you are such a wimp!"

-

Kasumi nodded politely to the other contestants that were here to serve the Emperor and the visiting President of the United States. "Oh, I'm so excited. My name is Kasumi Tendo! It's very nice to meet you!"

"My name is Jumi Damoku. I'm pleased to meet you," she said. Most of the other girls just ignored the greetings, although a couple did nod.

"Ladies? Are you ready?" the director of the cooking contestants asked. At their nods, he led them out into the brisk afternoon. February was quite early in the year, but as luck had it, it was more than warm enough for the cooking demonstration. The six girls were led to a special table, near where the Prime Minster, Emperor and President of the United States were chatting with their aides. The meeting hall was open on one side, out onto one of the main parks in Tokyo.

The charismatic President Presley nodded a greeting as the young women began their preparations on live TV. The foods smelled good, even just moments into their preparation. He turned back to trade negotiations. They were a key component to winning the presidential elections back in the US later that year.

Kasumi smiled to herself as she concocted her meal, finishing well before any of the other girls. She had ended up third overall in this contest, but third in the entire nation's high schools was nothing to sneeze at. She opened her mouth to quietly chat with the girl next to her but was shot down by an angry glare that caused her to wilt. Roni something-or-other, if she remembered right.

With a sigh, she looked over Jumi's work. "You might want to turn down your wok just a little, Jumi. You're going to scorch your shrimp if you aren't careful," Kasumi whispered.

Jumi laughed a little nervously. "I can't believe how nervous I am. It's like I've forgotten all my lessons!"

"You'll do fine!" Kasumi said with a smile. As she watched, Jumi didn't make any more major mistakes, but her cooking looked very... regimented. Almost like she was cooking by rote as she cut her water chestnuts almost mechanically. She barely even tasted it. Kasumi suddenly blinked in surprise. "Oh? Didn't you want to use the Fukisuma's utensils that they provided? They are very high quality! I'm so looking forward to using them in my kitchen at home!"

Jumi almost glared and then suddenly smiled. "These are my special-lucky, family utensils! I always use them!"

Kasumi smiled in return even as she snuck a glance at the utensils that looked to her as if they were brand new. The director of the services suddenly called her attention and asked that they start to bring up the food for the dignitaries. As Kasumi stood in line with her pretty bowl full of sukiyaki, she kept going over the strange conversation with Jumi. 'New', family utensils for luck?

What was her family name? Damoku! That was it. The name sounded familiar, now that she thought about it. But not with cooking, but with something her father told her. Hadn't her father mentioned that they were some sort of assassin clan?

Kasumi's face blanched, even as she saw Jumi moving forward to serve President Presley. With a sudden burst of adrenaline, Kasumi dropped her bowl and slammed into Jumi, just as her innocuous spoon sprouted a throwing spike! "Assassin!" she screamed as she tried to twist the weapon away from Jumi with her relatively basic martial arts, spoiling the attack at the stunned American and his bodyguards.

"Bitch!" Jumi hissed out, as she started to flip the irritating young cook out of the way. She suddenly screamed in pain as one the American Secret Service men suddenly blurred, faster than her father could as a master martial artist, smashing her forearms into splinters.

-

"Something is going on! Someone is yelling about an assassin," the announcer yelled in a panic. The TV view swayed alarmingly.

The view of the open front-end of the meeting hall was full of security men. Kasumi, who had barely been seen just before the attack was not visible now.

"Kasumi!"

"My poor daughter!" Soun Tendo started crying mightily.

"Sis?" Nabiki just looked stunned. Nothing bad ever happened to their Kasumi.

-

"The local assassin failed the primary objective. Repeat, primary objective failed. Send in the heavy guns!" a man in a far off black van shouted as he looked over the scene with remote cameras.

Across the open field of the park, two cars suddenly surged through the crowds that parted ways for the black-suit-wearing men in the sedans. Before the cars even stopped moving, the goons that looked like security were opening the doors and pulling out guns. They were not standard issues nine-millimeter handguns; rather they were fully automatic machine pistols and rifles.

"Mr. President, get down!" Dan Barr shouted. The six normal Secret Service men grabbed the President in a tight huddle, heading towards the heavily armored car that he had arrived in. The Japanese security force was doing the same for their Prime Minister and the Emperor of Japan. "Stevens! Back me up here!"

"I'm right behind you!" Arnold Stevens called out.

"Kill the foreign dogs that are ruining our great country!" shouted a heavy-set fellow yelled out in his native Japanese. The six men with him unloaded at all moving targets that were American!

Dan and Arnold literally blurred into action as they slapped the bullets into the ground, stunning everyone present.

"I see bombs in the second car with a remote detonator!" Arnold shouted. That was enough C2 to fry everyone within blocks! What kind of maniacs were these?

"Get it out of here, Stevens!" Dan's eyes turned crimson, melting different guns while still blocking bullets into the ground, though he was missing a few bullets here and there.

Arnold Stevens seemed to teleport to the car and lift it effortlessly. In moments, he was streaking off into the air. He'd only made it a few thousand feet before the car exploded into a huge fireball! More people screamed in terror, though they were far safer than they could believe.

Dan Barr thought to himself, I've got to stop this soon, before someone gets hurt! In a move that he'd seen Superman do once, he blew out a deep breath. Incredibly cold air exploded from his mouth, freezing and bowling over the gunmen that were still trying to kill his president.

Michael Ward appeared in the air, straight from the hotel where he's been sleeping. He may not have been on shift, but it only took moments to travel that distance. He started snatching and tossing their guns away while slapping them to knock them out.

Off in a van about a half mile away, the man who had masterminded the attack suddenly opened the door and started walking casually off. He had left nothing that would show him to be involved. And in an hour, he would look totally different on his way to a different country.

-

"Everything is clear now, Mr. President. You should be safe," Secret Service Agent Dan Barr said. His eyes were scanning the crowd, seeing no armed assassins. He doubled checked anything that could conceal a weapon within two hundred feet. Only real security was armed.

"Thank you, Mr. Barr. We were very lucky today. I must say thank you to that girl!" President Elvis Presley said.

"I'm sorry, sir. I really didn't expect an assassin to try and knife you. We hardly even checked the cooks. They were all just young girls," Dan explained. "Super-speed and x-ray vision doesn't work if you are looking in the wrong place."

President Presley just nodded as he walked off. "Ah well, Humpty-Dumpty and all that. We'll have a press conference as soon as I finish discussing things with the Japanese. How is the heroine of the day?" he asked the woman bandaging the high-school girl.

The woman looked totally surprised and didn't respond. Dan Barr asked the question again in Japanese. He'd taken a week to familiarize himself with Japanese in preparation for this trip.

"Oh! She should be fine, Mr. President! Only slight gash!" the doctor exclaimed in passable English.

Kasumi giggled. "I've cut myself worse cooking dinner, Mr. President-Sir! It was an honor for this humble member of the Tendo Clan to serve Japan and our Emperor!" Kasumi stood up wobbily. "It was really nothing!"

"Nonsense! Tendo Kasumi, you are a true treasure of Japan. You have managed to save Japan's public image in this incredible instance. Just how did you know that the girl was an assassin?" Prime Minister Shiro Kitomo asked.

"I'm so sorry, but my father mentioned the girl's family during my self-defense training! I should have remembered sooner! It was only-" Kasumi's leg's almost buckled under her. She clutched at the nearest person, which happened to be President Elvis. "Oh, I'm s-so sorry! I must be in sh-shock, still!" Her legs did collapse finally.

"Doctor! What's going on?" the President of the United States asked belligerently as he helped Kasumi to lay down. She was quivering, her eyes starting to dilate oddly, her breathing erratic.

"She should be fine! She was showing no signs of shock just a moment ago. She was telling me that she wanted to learn one of the recipes-"

"The knife was poisoned!" a Japanese security official said as he ran up. "I've been trying to discover who had been cut, but with the confusion and so many people being injured, I wasn't fast enough!"

"Nonsense! I'll personally guarantee her the finest medical treatment in the world! You have my word on that! I can't have our heroine dying now, can I?" the President blustered.

Prime Minister Kitomo frowned at the sudden quiet of his security chief as he bowed his head low. "What is wrong, Tomo?"

"I suspect the worst! Kasumi Tendo may only have hours to live! The poison, Shengu-Toman, is incurable! It attacks the nerves and blood! A full stab from that knife would kill anyone in hours, if not minutes!" Tomo said softly.

Dan Barr just shook his head. "Poor, poor brave little girl. Is there no cure, Tomo-sama?"

"I fear not, Dan Barr-San," the man replied. He touched his finger to his ear where his radio-bud was inserted. He sighed deeply. He bowed deeply to the President and then the Prime Minister and finally the Emperor, who had just arrived. "I am so sorry. I have failed utterly in my job to protect you and save this young woman. It was indeed Shengu-Toman poison. There is no known cure. I will immediately resign-"

"Mr. Barr, this can not stand!" Elvis Presley burst out, interrupting the poor security chief.

"Sir?" the bodyguard asked querulously, as if to question his superior's sanity.

"I am authorizing you to take drastic matters to save Miss Kasumi's life! As the President of the United States, I am ordering you to attempt an Ultra Level Enhancement. Take her to the closest facility and save her life!" he thundered. "I gave my word and I mean to keep it!"

Dan Barr only stood stunned for a moment. "Yes, sir!" In a blur of movement, he had the quivering girl wrapped in a blanket and was shooting off into the air.

"Mr. President, I do not understand what you are attempting to do!" the Prime Minister said levelly.

"It is just possible that the top-secret means which the United States uses to enhance the special Secret Service agents may save her life. If she lives, she will be nearly as strong as Superman!"

"Our prayers fly with you then, Daniel Barr!"

-

Kasumi Tendo was only one month shy of eighteen. Spots danced in her eyes as oppressive cold seemed to encompass her. Time seemed to stretch and waver, uncertain in length and breadth.

"I need a weather watch on any storms between Japan and the United States," a male voice said in American English.

Later, Kasumi might wonder at that, but at this point in time, his words made little sense. She shivered again. Was this what it was like to die, Momma?

"Just hold on, Kasumi! We're doing our best to save you," the voice spoke.

Silly man, why did he keep distracting her from the light? She was sure that she could hear her mother singing in the garden. La-de-daaaa-fi-raay-laaaaa!

"Finally! A storm and a whopper of one too! I just hope she can survive the discharge in her state!" the voice said again, once again drawing her away from the light.

Rain started to lash at the girl's poor, cold limbs. Cold shocked her system...

"Damn! Her heart has stopped! Don't die on me! Live, damn you! Live!" Dan Barr screamed into the hurricane, far out to sea. His enhanced senses were almost overloaded. He had to place himself between the positive pulse of the lightning bolt; otherwise, he'd be rendered virtually powerless after the enhancement.

The powers of an Ultra Enhancement Secret Service Agent are immense. The only mortals more powerful on the planet were Kryptonians, as far as Daniel Richard Barr knew. He reacted dozens of times faster than human could conceive of thinking, bullets bounced off of his chest as if they were spit-wads.

And as if God had decided to answer, immense charges of energy swirled to the left and the right of him. He had only a moment to react, even for his incredible abilities as a bolt of lightning tore through him and the dying girl in his arms, pulling and tearing at his essence, his power!

Kasumi was blessedly unconscious, but her heart beat, Dan realized. In a moment, he had streaked off at three quarters of his normal top speed. He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the Japanese girl breath. Then enhancement must have taken.

-

The first thing Kasumi felt upon waking was a terrible headache. "Ohh."

Someone seemed to be babbling at her.

"Go-way. Wanna sleep." Oh, dear. That was probably quite rude of me, wasn't it? Kasumi's innate sense of propriety raised its sleeping head. "Um, hello?"

"Good morning, Miss Tendo. How are you feeling today?" a pleasant, female voice asked.

Said girl blinked her eyes in surprise. "Er, I have a bit of a headache, actually."

The doctor smiled at Kasumi. "That's a good sign, actually. I'd like to congratulate you on your swift and unique recovery. It isn't everyday that you manage to survive sure death."

"Pardon me?"

"Dr. Smith!" a male voice called out in scandal.

"Posh, everyone is too serious. Other than your headache, how do you feel?" the doctor asked.

Kasumi sat up carefully. "Er, not too bad." Everyone was quite surprised when the young woman snapped her bed's guardrails off and almost swatted the frightened doctor with it. But luckily, the man who had spoken reacted far faster than Kasumi would have believed, stopping it with his own considerable strength.

"Careful there, you don't know your own strength!" Dan Barr exclaimed.

"What happened? How-?" Kasumi exclaimed.

"I don't know how much you remember, but you were dying. Poisoned, actually. Supposedly there was no cure, but President Presley ordered me to use an Ultra Enhancement to save your life." Dan smiled widely. "It did work, but it does have a _few_ side effects. You are going to be an even more special woman than before. Why don't you rest up and I'll be back in a few hours. Oh, and Dr. Smith?"

"Yes?"

"Please make sure that her windows and drapes are open," Dan informed her.

"May I ask why?"

"Let's just say, it's therapeutic for the enhancement process," the Secret Service Agent said mysteriously.

Dr. Smith said some very unkind words under her voice, not realizing that Dan and Kasumi could both hear and understand her. She brushed her graying hair behind her ear and adjusted her glasses.

Dan nodded and walked off.

Kasumi just sat in her bed. She did feel better under the bright sunlight. In short order, she found out that she was in Hawaii and had been here for two days! She was surprised at her own hunger and happy to find that once she ate that her headache diminished.

"Wheel that in here and then stand guard outside!" Dan Barr ordered as two men wheeled in a very large TV and hooked it up to some cables. In moments, they had it tested and set up. A sign on it read, 'Connected'.

"We're ready. Dr. Smith, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to wait outside for the foreseeable future," the agent said.

Dr. Smith just nodded. She'd only seen that video-conferencing rig used when an Admiral was sick in bed for a month.

From the TV an image and voice suddenly came on. "Ah, Miss Tendo! I see that Mr. Barr wasn't exaggerating your recovery. It's been a very busy couple of days here in Tokyo," President Presley said with a warm smile.

Kasumi suddenly realized that she was only wearing her hospital gown and _no_ makeup! "Mr. President?"

"I'm sure you are wondering what is going on?" Elvis waited for her nod. "Good. I was sure that you would. Saving your life necessitated a rather dramatic change in your life that we could not discuss with you at that time. I'm sure you're read about the United States' recent use of Kryptonian Enhancement for our military, right?"

"Er, a little. I'm afraid I really don't follow international news much," Kasumi explained.

"Well, I didn't much follow the news at your age, either. Suffice it to say, we've developed the means to copy the abilities of Superman to a limited extent, for use in defending our world from... threats. These American secrets have never been used in such a unique situation as you entail. You are probably the third most powerful civilian on this planet, right behind Superman and someone I'm not at liberty to mention," Presley said, continuing his explanation.

"So, I'm a superhero?" Kasumi blurted out.

"Not quite yet, but just maybe... yes. As a gesture of good will to Japan, the United States has offered to enhance a single individual with what the public media is terming the 'Presidential Enhancement' package. All a bunch of hogwash and lies, but that's politics for you. This is a cover story for you."

"So what do you want me to do?" the girl asked. She looked quite confused.

The president took a deep breath. "_I_ don't want anything from you. You have done an incredible deed, selflessly throwing your life on the line for this Old Rock Star. You have been handed a marvelous opportunity, an opportunity that is a once in a lifetime chance." President Presley smiled softly into the camera. "I have been asked to extend an invitation from the Imperial House to ask if you would serve your country and your fellow humans as a servant of Japan."

"Oh! I couldn't do that, I'm just a silly girl!" She was blushing so severely it was cute.

"Miss Tendo, we can't force you accept this. But with the sense of responsibility and duty that you have already shown, I could not see letting this opportunity pass you by. You would honor me and all Americans if you accepted, to show that America is for Earth and all humans!"

It was finally seeping into Kasumi that this was no joke! That she had a real chance to do good in the world. "I... I accept!"

Presley let less a deep breath. "Thank you, Miss Tendo. Your abilities will take about a year to fully bloom, according to the reports I have on the... process. I would like to invite you to attend a very special school, unique in the world. It will foster your abilities and let you get the most out of them!"

"Oh! I'd love to do that, Mr. President. But, my family! They need me!"

"They've been terribly worried, of course. Your father has even threatened to declare war on the United States all by his lonesome. But you have my solemn word that your family is under the protection of not only the United States, but Japan too. You don't have to worry about anything bad happening to them!"

"Really? Can I talk to them?" Kasumi said hopefully.

"We'll be more than happy to let you call them once or twice a week from Washington DC."

"Why that's all the way on the other side of the world!"

Dan Barr interjected finally. "I'm afraid you're going to have to become far more cosmopolitan than even that."

-

"My oldest daughter is lost and missing! WAAAAAH!" Soun Tendo cried as he sat in the middle of the living room.

WHAM! Table, meet father.

"Now my youngest daughter is beating me! WAAAAAH!" Soun barely noted the lump on his head.

"No, Akane. That isn't going to work," Nabiki said as she finished her bowl of cold cereal. She was beginning to get seriously tired of cold cereal.

"But he won't stop crying, Nabiki!" Akane said, frustration growing.

"You have to give him an ultimatum _first_ and _then _hit him if he doesn't quit. See? Watch! Father, you need to stop crying so you can go out and find Kasumi! We can't stand it any more and we won't!"

"My middle daughter is threatening me!" said father babbled.

"And then hit him until he shuts up!"

WHAM. BAM! SLAM! CRASH!

"Thank God, he's finally unconscious," Nabiki said with a sigh. "Thanks for the assist, little sister."

Akane patted her hands. "He's never been this bad."

"I know, Akane. I know. But until we find out what happened to Kasumi, he's going to be nearly useless."

Knock, knock.

The two sisters looked and each other and then dashed to the door. It slid open with a crash. "Yes?" they cried out.

Dan Barr just blinked in surprise. "Er, this is the Tendo residence?"

"Give me back my sister!" Akane yelled, rightly figuring that this person was behind her missing sister. She was easily holding him about a foot off the ground, which was very impressive for a petite fifteen year old.

"Akane, he can't tell us what's going on if you keep shaking him like that," Nabiki mentioned while wagging her finger at her youngest sister.

"Oh, sorry. Pardon me, Mr. Foreigner," Akane said contritely as she put him back down.

"Er, no problem. I've brought a message from your sister. I must stress that this must not leave the household," the Secret Serviceman said.

"Why?" Nabiki asked bluntly.

"Her life may depend on it," he replied.

"Give me back my daughter!" screamed the suddenly conscious Tendo patriarch. He had the most horrid visage and an incredibly imposing demeanor! He looked positively demonic; with a forked tongue and hair that lashed like tentacles. He appeared to fill the entire yard, which was patently impossible, as he was still inside the house!

"Uh!" Dan Bar blurted out eloquently.

Nabiki just sighed. "Daddy, he was about to tell us before you interrupted."

In between one second and another, Soun Tendo reverted to a normal visage, if very angry and intense. This appearance was only disrupted by the lumps on his head.

A little excitable? Kasumi had not really managed to convey the wackiness of her family. "Er, yes. May I come in?"

"Of course. Excuse me for not asking you to enter before, I was not myself." Suddenly Soun looked to be perfectly fine and absolutely in charge of himself.

Everyone adjoined to the living room.

"I have a message from Kasumi. She really wishes to be with you, but due to the special medical treatment she is taking to counteract the poison she was afflicted with, she is going to have to live in the United States for a while."

"What!?" the family screamed at him.

"I have a video tape! She explains everything for you!" Dan blurted out quickly. This family was nuts!

In moments the VCR from Nabiki's room was hooked back up to the television. The house was suspiciously quiet as the family listened to Kasumi. Finally, Kasumi finished, almost crying as she explained that she had to stay in the U.S. for a year.

After Kasumi finished, a new person started talking. It was President Presley, going over what a brave young woman that Kasumi was and what she'd done for Japan-US relations. He promised that she would be treated with the best care and all of her needs met. Finally on the screen, the Emperor beseeched them to be strong and that Japan and himself were eternally thankful for what Kasumi had done to save their lives at the summit.

"Wow! Kasumi's a hero!" Akane gushed after the tape was done.

"Does she really have to stay in the United States?" Nabiki asked, mentally calculating the costs involved in being an exchange student in the U.S.

"Yes, she's receiving expert care for the poison she was dosed with. She's really lucky to be alive!" Dan explained in his best, soothing voice.

"My daughter nearly died! WAAAAAH!"

WHAM. BAM! SLAM! CRASH!

"Iteeee..."

Dan just blinked. Soun was still alive after that?

"Damn, I think his head is getting harder," Nabiki complained.

"We're sorry for that display, but Father has been a little out of sorts. It's the only way to get any piece and quiet," Akane explained.

"You didn't have to hit me quite so hard," their father said, glaring at his girls.

"Er, Kasumi mentioned that you were some sort of martial arts master," Dan Barr asked diffidently.

"Yes, I am the master of the Tendo School of Anything Goes Martial Arts."

The Secret Service Agent just blinked. He must have mistranslated that.


End file.
